Much better than I was led to expect

The Touch is Michelle Yeoh's first movie as producer, executive producer and
writer (as well as star), and the first movie from her new production
company. Now Michelle Yeoh is a smart and sensible woman (and she can kick
ass with the best), so expectations for this big budget production with
Peter Pau in the director's chair were naturally high - certainly I had high
hopes for it. That changed when it came out and it seemed to be universally
acclaimed a major disappointment. I almost decided to pass it over
completely, but you know sometimes you have to see a certain movie even if
you know it's going to be bad, 'cause it's still a 'significant' or
'important' film in some sense.

Thanks to all the negative press, my expectations for the movie were much
lower when I sat down to watch it. I mean, we're talking the kind of
expectations that make The Blacksheep Affair look like a good film... so
it's not really a surprise that I found myself enjoying The Touch. But I
mean I found myself *really* enjoying it. A lot!

First with the bad, the reasons people were presumably disappointed. There
are some very cheesy moments in places, moments and lines that feel too
artificially inserted, too 'script'. There's some bad acting in places -
some from the bad guy's goons but most notably from Brandon Chang, who plays
Michelle's younger brother (his girlfriend was pretty bad too, but she
didn't have as much chance to show it). And most notably there are some
really terrible special effects in the final climax - about 15 years out of
date

But then with the good! First surprise, it's really funny! Most of the
humour comes from the guest Gwei Los Ben Chaplin and Richard Roxburgh, both
of whom have really good characters and some brilliant lines. They also
break a long tradition of white actors in HK films by being really good, and
not at all annoying. Richard Roxburgh's villain in particular is a
charismatic classic. Then there's the story, which is all quite cheesy but
reasonably involved and well developed. It's a good old fashioned adventure
yarn. And then there's the production values... especially the great sets
and locations filmed beautifully by Peter Pau. The soundtrack is really good
too, though it sounds very Hollywood (I'm not normally a fan of Hollywood's
overblown and generally forgettable soundtracks, but I like this
one).

It must be said that The Touch does in many ways feel more like a Hollywood
movie than a Hong Kong movie - the fact that it is 95% filmed in English
undoubtedly being part of it. Hong Kong film makers normally fail miserably
when they attempt to make a Hollywood style movie, but I think that this
case represents a near success. If it weren't for those dreadful special
effects I think it would have a very good chance of competing on the
Hollywood distribution circuits. And I believe the production company have
taken the unusual step of hiring a different firm (the normally excellent
Centro) to completely redo the special effects for a US release. This may be
one case where the US version of a HK movie actually improves on the
original.

One thing that is expected of a Hong Kong movie starring Michelle Yeoh is
obviously a high calibre of action. This is perhaps where the movie
disappoints, as there isn't as much action in the film as I expect most
viewers would have liked. There are a couple of fight scenes that show off
Michelle's skills well, but Philip Kwok's choreography isn't all that
exciting unfortunately. Not bad, but not up to the standard of Michelle's
fights in Royal Warriors, for example. Especially disappointing is the final
climax, which should have been a raw bone crunching showcase of martial arts
prowess but is in fact a limp showcase of terrible CGI. Bad call to go the
special effects route, Michelle!

If I hadn't had my expectations lowered by those who saw the movie before
me, I guess there's a fair chance I'd have ended up disappointed in The
Touch too. Because I wasn't expecting too much I found much more to enjoy
than I bargained for. In fact, I'd say I enjoyed the movie more than any
other 2002 Hong Kong movie I can think of (not saying much admittedly, since
2002 was a terrible year for HK movies). It's a movie I will happily watch
again (though I'll wait for the US release perhaps) and have no hesitation
recommending to others.

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8 out of 11 people found the following review useful:

Crouching Tiger and the Last Crusade

Unoriginal, poorly produced, poorly acted, and ultimately disappointing,
this film takes the beautifully orchestrated acrobatic moves of Crouching
Tiger (not to mention the leading lady), but executes them with an
awkwardness surpassed only by the overused blue-screen and
computer-generated special effects. Some of the action scenes were well
done, but as a whole, it failed to bring anything more than what most
low-grade action films offer.

The many attempts to inject humor into the film, via the classic "moronic
American idiot" who bumbles around the film acting like he just left the
set
of latest Police Academy installment, is so out of place that it
annoyinging
disrupts the flow of the film and leaves the audience to wonder, "what
the
hell is that guy doing in this movie?"

Perhaps most disappointing were the performances of the two lead
characters,
who after promising roles in "Crouching Tiger" and "Birthday Girl" seemed
to
have settled for whatever script was tossed their way.

I rated this film a 4. It was compelling enough that I stayed to see the
ending, but in the end, I wish that I hadn't. Utterly forgettable and
disappointing...

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8 out of 11 people found the following review useful:

Action, Adventure, Romance, Humour all rolled into one.

I managed to catch the premier of Datuk Michelle Yeoh's film during its
premier in Malaysia on August 1st. I can say that Datuk Yeoh has done a
wonderful job, as a producer and also as the main lead in this film.

The Touch tells the tale of a relic treasure known as the Sharira which is
said to contain the pure essence of a Buddhist Holy Man. To protect this
great treasure, the Monks of Dun Huang hid it. When the time has come to
retrieve it, the monks turned to a family of acrobats. For hundreds of
years, the family trained, passing on the skills required to retrieve the
Sharira when the time comes.

Yin Fei (Datuk Yeoh) and her brother Tong (Brandon Chang in his debut), are
the heirs to the skills of the long lineage of acrobats. One fateful day,
Eric (Ben Chaplin), a man who used to be Yin's old flame shows up with the
Heart of Dun Huang, a medallion which is the key to unlocking the secret
location of the Sharira. Together, they embark on a perilous journey to
discover what Yin's ancestors once guarded.
And what do you know, there is always the rich, merciless, unscrupulous
man,
Karl(Richard Roxburgh), who will stop at nothing to get his greedy hands on
the prized treasure.

Pretty much your average treasure hunter movies with a little touch of
Indiana Jones. There is almost a Tomb Raider reference when Karl offered
Yin
his resources to find the Sharira together. Fortunately, Yin just rejected
his offer by kickin' his butt. By far, the scenes featured in the film were
breathtaking ( China and Tibet ), thanks to director Peter Pau, who also
doubles as the film's cinematographer.
Action scenes were well pulled off and linked using spectacular special
effects. Just don't miss the 'fight' scene between Yin and Tong in the
beginning of the movie which is just reminescence of the fight between the
Monkey God and Na Za.

Brandon Chang who had just made his debut in this film, may one day be the
next Jet Li. It is heard that his now under Datuk Yeoh's tutelage in
martial
arts and Kung Fu. Datuk Yeoh, after the phenomenal success of Ang Lee's
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , still manage to captivate the audiences
with her acting and also her butt kickin'.

Way to go Datuk Yeoh!!

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:

Genre movie without big surprises

"The Touch" is an adventure movie in the tradition of "Raiders of the
Lost Ark". It tells the story of a Chinese family of artists who
specialized in difficult jumps for many generations. Only such a jump,
seeming impossible to anyone else, will make it possible to obtain a
holy treasure. Two family members are kidnapped by a treasure hunter
(Richard Roxburgh) to get the treasure for him. Yin (Michelle Yeoh),
being the head of the family after the demise of her father, pursues
them into the desert.

Genre movie without big surprises, but well made (except for the final
fight which looks like computer game inspired green screen effects),
featuring a female star who successfully avoids any Lara Croft
similarities and uses her scarf both as a weapon and a swing rope. "The
Touch" was shot in places where nobody else was allowed to film before.
The landscapes of Tibet are impressive and make the movie more
memorable than the thin plot deserves.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

An amazing film !!

I just saw The Touch at a theater here in China. That movie is fantastic
!!
Michelle Yeoh is great, amazingly charismatic, beautiful, and a remarkable
martial artist. Ben Chaplin is great too, really at ease and perfectly
believable.
the movie itself is an amazing adventure flick, very funny by moments, and
with an intense ending. Don't miss it, really !

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6 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

Doesn't cut it, even with Michelle Yeoh

As a huge fan of Michelle Yeoh, I was waiting with baited breath to see a
beautifully photographed movie with her as the star. An English language
movie that was supposed to have world-wide appeal, proof to everyone that
she had the true star power she already had for me and many others. While
the photography was gorgeous and her strength in the lead role was obvious,
the story was weak. Worse yet, the action scenes seemed too slow and
"choreographed-looking." The attempts at humor were not only poor, but got
really annoying. Worst of all, Michelle played the role of a wonderfully
dynamic, good-hearted, woman who still loves a heel, a former love and
father of their son. Ben Chaplin does a good job of playing the role of a
self-centered, unreliable, untrustworthy crook with absolutely no redeeming
value. I know in real life lots of women love the worst men, so there's no
escapism here. But this movie makes it look like its cool to be a jerk,
making it all the harder to watch. I bought the DVD for my Michelle
collection. How many times I'll be able to watch it, I don't
know.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:

Keep on going, Michelle! We love you.

My name is Jo. I live in BKK. I've already seen the movie here in Thailand
and I think it's great especially the Tibetan part. I'd say well done to
Michelle Yeoh because she has done such a good job. I'm impressed. Keep on
going, Michelle! We love you. This is a greeting from your fans in
Thailand.
" JO & FRIENDS "

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:

unfulfilled potential

One of the classic fantasy quest novels of ancient China serves as the
basis
for this film's story: JOURNEY TO THE WEST by Wu Cheng En. In it, the
Buddhist Monk/Scholar Xuanzang accomplishes a pilgrimage to India with the
help of three magical creatures: a powerful immortal monkey with an
anti-authoritarian streak, a humanoid boar of immense power, gullibility
and
appetite and an even-tempered warrior monk. The same source material was
the
inspiration for anime like Dragonball Z.

In this case, The Touch starts off cleverly, and sort of creates the
impression that it is a latter-day sequel to the novel especially in one
of
the fights that opens the movie: a re-creation of the famous scene in the
novel where the Monkey duels with a hot-tempered Boy-God with the ability
to
manipulate fire. And with the fact that it is the Sharira (or crystal
essence) of the Monk that is the motive for all the characters' actions.
But
it fails to cover this much further, sags in the middle and soon becomes a
cliched and predictable adventure film featuring a booby-trapped room,
fire,
Tarzan-swinging and "leaps of faith".

Performances wise Michelle Yeoh is Michelle Yeoh, always up to snuff in
her
physical stunts and emotional nuances but set back by her grating
Cantonese-Malayan inflections when speaking Mandarin and English. Ben
Chaplin continues his trend of playing second fiddle to A-list females,
from
Winona Ryder, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman to Michelle Yeoh. He's just
the kind of guy A-list women like to have in their movies because he looks
positively impotent. Richard Roxburgh seems to have walked in thinking he
was going to act in a Shakespearean stage play and pretty much plays his
stock villain character larger-than-life with hammy delivery.

Cinematography is first-rate, and the music is surprisingly pleasing, and
that's about all. The story is weak, predictable and has the depth of a
Disney cartoon. Characters are one-dimensional and stock. Peter Pau can
handle visuals though what he's done is virtually retreading old ground,
but
as a director he still lacks vision and the ability to astonish
emotionally.
Any astonishment is mainly from the way he handles visuals, rarely from
timing or the way he works on the imagination. A triumph of set design
over
plot this is, but what set design, and what cinematography!

Overall this movie is an elegantly-shot with potential for greatness, but
just becomes little more than a passably entertaining, shortchanging
adventure by the end.

Rating: 5.6 out of 10

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

Wonderful film

I do not have any idea why so many people posted adverse reviews of
this movie. In any movie that has martial arts in it you have to let
your self be carried into the theme. The same can be said for many
other types of movies as well.

The Touch is a beautiful movie. Everything about it's imagery brings
back a feeling of days gone by when big Hollywood pictures made their
audience gasp at the beauty or the vastness for just a few examples.

This has special effects that look great. The story is interesting
instead of just an excuse for martial arts to happen. We thought the
idea and the way it was portrayed was wonderful and commanding. You can
get lost in watching this movie as you care more and more about the
characters and the problems they must handle. Dane Cook is even in
there for a little extra humor to even things out, and does a very good
job.

The story for it's type is believable and the people populating it deal
with real life as well as the mystical world. One reviewer said that
the love interest was a thief and was put off by that.

People sometimes change and learn and bond during rites of movie
passage. Sometimes in real life the same thing can happen on a smaller
scale.

I have never written a review before but I found myself needing to take
up for this beautiful movie. I love it. My husband loves it. My only
problem is that we rented it and the second disk is not included, so we
are missing some of the specials. Perhaps even a commentary that is all
in English, because the disk we have has one that is in a mixture of
languages that is hard to follow.

This is a lovely film. In scope, in imagery, in story and in the of
acting that brings forth that story. It is a film to cherish and watch
many times.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

"Just" average

As a fan of Yeoh's films, I desperately felt I needed to see this film,
I was impressed with the trailer but then it all led to disappointment
when I saw the film. I was aware that the film was receiving bad
reviews but when I saw it, it was not as bad as I thought it was but
there were some major faults.

The use of incredible locations in the film was a plus, the story line
sounded perfect for an adventure film and there was that wonderful
combination of action, romance and comedy

I felt that one of the main flaws with the film was the ensemble of
actors; though they do look good in their roles, the way they portrayed
their characters was rather poor.

Yeoh's performance was not of a satisfactory level, but provided she
got to use some martial arts in the film, I was happy.

Ben Chaplin, who plays Eric,provides most of the comic relief for the
film, particularly when he attempts to sing a love song in Mandarin
Chinese but forgets the words half way through the song. I am still
wondering whether the character Bob was even meant to be funny at all
as he was just pathetic throughout the film.

Brandon Chang and Margaret Wang who play Lily and Tong are newcomers,
of all the actors in the film, their performances were the most
disappointing; my reason is mainly that when they spoke, it sounded as
if they were on a "lets talk English programme", they were
expressionless and bland with their acting.

Another flaw was the use of special effects in the film, particularly
in the climax that takes place in the burning cave, at the beginning of
the scene, the flames looked real, but whoever was in charge of the
cinematography made a huge mistake after applying the flames because
the fire looked incredibly fake afterwards as well as a list of other
faults concerning the CGI.

Despite the faults outweighing the good points, I did enjoy the film,
but it was merely average.